Ransomware attacks have become a growing and worrying threat in Colombia and globally. In the midst of the current cybersecurity landscape, it is essential that companies and organizations are prepared to face this dangerous trend, also known as ‘data hijacking’ in Spanish.
The increase in these attacks has been remarkable in both frequency and sophistication in recent years, according to Juan Ricardo Palacio, a global cybersecurity expert and founder of the Digital Recovery Group, Ransomware Help and CRO. Cybercriminals have developed more advanced tactics such as double extortion, where they threaten to leak sensitive data if the ransom is not paid. In 2023, the average ransom was $1.54 million, nearly double the year before. Businesses of all sizes and sectors have been affected, suffering disruptions to their operations and financial losses.
“Some of the sectors most vulnerable to these attacks are health, government, financial institutions, education, and small and medium-sized businesses,” adds Palacio. Given this, Ransomware Help offers a series of recommendations and key measures to protect against data hijacking attacks:
So far in 2023, 66% of organizations were attacked by ransomware, setting a record for one of the highest increases in recent years, according to a report by Sophos, a cybersecurity company. In addition, SonicWall, a company that publishes ransomware attack statistics, highlights that Colombia has registered a total of 15,519,964 attempts at this type of attack, highlighting the urgent need to protect itself and take preventive measures to avoid these threats.
The expert recommends raising awareness among all personnel about cyber threats, such as phishing and social engineering attacks, it is essential to prevent security breaches, since this is usually one of the most common forms of attack.